Come on, What Kind of CEO Chases His Roommate Back to the Country? - Chapter 12

“Wake up.” At six in the morning, Shi Yancheng knocked on Pei Song’s door right on time.

After knocking three times without getting a response, he simply pushed the door open. The room was dim, and Pei Song was still wrapped up in his blanket.

“It’s already six o’clock.” Shi Yancheng walked to the window and pulled open the curtains, letting the morning light flood the room.

Pei Song groggily poked his head out from under the covers. “So early…”

“Get dressed. We’re going for a run.” Shi Yancheng tossed a set of workout clothes onto his bed.

“Huh? Now?” Pei Song looked confused. “Why are we suddenly running in the morning?”

“You’ve lost weight,” Shi Yancheng said. “Exercise improves your mood. From now on, we’re running every morning.”

That statement instantly woke Pei Song up.

“Five minutes,” Shi Yancheng said as he walked out the door. “I’ll be waiting in the living room.”

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were jogging along the tree-lined path of M University. The campus was quiet in the early morning, with only a few other students out for a jog.

At first, Pei Song managed to keep up, but he was already out of breath before they had even run a kilometer.

“I… I really can’t keep going…” He bent over, panting heavily.

Shi Yancheng stopped and looked back at him. “Let’s walk for a bit.”

“You run every morning?” Pei Song asked as they walked.

“It’s a habit.” Shi Yancheng slowed his pace to match his. “You should develop it too.”

“Why?”

Shi Yancheng answered vaguely, “You need a strong body to build a career.”

They alternated between walking and running, and by the time they finished circling the campus and returned home, it was nearly 7:30.

“Go take a shower,” Shi Yancheng said. “I have something to discuss with you.”

When Pei Song finished freshening up, he found Shi Yancheng waiting for him at the entrance.

“Come with me.”

They went downstairs to the supermarket, where Shi Yancheng grabbed a cart and headed straight for the fresh produce section.

Pei Song followed behind, watching as the cart gradually filled with fresh vegetables and meat. Something felt off.

“You know I always cook extra,” Pei Song said. “There’s still food at home.”

“This isn’t for us,” Shi Yancheng stopped and turned to him. “It’s for you to test new recipes.”

Pei Song was stunned. “Test recipes?”

“At the food festival, I told you, I want to invest in your restaurant.” Shi Yancheng looked directly at him.

“I told you, I plan to go back home…”

“You can open a restaurant here first,” Shi Yancheng interrupted. “Once you establish yourself, then you can think about other things. I’ve already found a great location for you, right at the corner of the food street. It’s a prime spot.”

Pei Song lowered his gaze. “But my family’s situation right now…”

“Because of your family’s situation,” Shi Yancheng’s tone left no room for argument, “you need a stable source of income even more. You’re so skilled at cooking, why waste it?”

“I…” Pei Song bit his lip. “I don’t have the startup money.”

“I told you, I’ll invest.” Shi Yancheng pushed the cart forward. “You just need to focus on making good food.”

“This is too risky.” Pei Song quickly caught up. “What if we lose money?”

Shi Yancheng stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I’d invest in something I wasn’t confident about?”

Pei Song was taken aback. Yeah… since the day they met, Shi Yancheng had never made a move without careful thought.

“And,” Shi Yancheng added, “I believe in you.”

A warmth spread through Pei Song’s chest. Since his family’s problems began, it had been a long time since anyone had said something like that to him.

“I…” Pei Song took a deep breath. “Let me think about it.”

“Alright.” Shi Yancheng nodded and continued walking. “For now, let’s take these ingredients back. You can start experimenting with new dishes.”

“I haven’t even agreed yet!” Pei Song called after him.

Shi Yancheng didn’t look back. “You will.”

Watching Shi Yancheng’s tall figure ahead, Pei Song couldn’t help but chuckle.

Back home, Pei Song instinctively walked into the kitchen.

He laid out the fresh ingredients on the counter, carefully organizing them. Through the glass door of the kitchen, he saw Shi Yancheng sitting on the couch, working on his laptop.

For some reason, that sight made him feel oddly at ease.

That evening, Pei Song was at the library, struggling with a finance problem. Final exams were coming up, and he needed to maintain his grades to keep his scholarship.

“You made a mistake here.” A sudden voice startled him. He looked up to see Shi Yancheng standing behind him.

“You need to use the Black-Scholes model for pricing derivatives,” Shi Yancheng pulled out a chair and sat down. “Let me explain it to you.”

Pei Song was surprised. “But… you’re a computer science major?”

“AI-driven quantitative trading requires knowledge of these fundamental models,” Shi Yancheng casually replied, already flipping through Pei Song’s notes. “I worked on financial modeling for a while.”

For the next two hours, Shi Yancheng systematically broke down the concepts with crystal-clear logic. Even the students nearby, who had been eavesdropping, started taking notes.

“So that’s how it works!” Pei Song finally understood. “You’re a genius.”

Shi Yancheng rarely smiled, but he did this time. “There’s a discussion panel this weekend. After that, I’ll take you somewhere.”

On Saturday afternoon, as soon as the conference ended, Shi Yancheng took Pei Song to a Michelin three-star restaurant downtown.

“Wait…” Pei Song hesitated at the entrance. “This place is way too expensive…”

“Consider it payment for giving me a chance to teach,” Shi Yancheng said, pushing open the door.

Dinner lasted nearly three hours.

For the first time, Pei Song got to observe Michelin-level cuisine up close. He couldn’t resist the urge to take out his phone.

“Go ahead,” Shi Yancheng noticed. “Taking photos is part of the learning process too.”

Only then did Pei Song carefully start photographing the dishes.

The appetizer was a seared scallop, golden brown on the surface, with a drizzle of olive oil and a garnish of rosemary and thyme, an artistic masterpiece.

“Try it.” Shi Yancheng gestured.

Pei Song cut a small piece and tasted it. The crispy exterior contrasted with the tender inside, bursting with seafood sweetness perfectly balanced by the fresh herbs.

“The doneness…” he murmured. “It’s much better than mine.”

“What makes it better?” Shi Yancheng asked.

Pei Song thought for a moment. “The surface is golden and crisp, but the inside is still about seventy percent cooked, the precision of the heat control is incredible.”

He took another bite. “The seasoning is also just right. It enhances the scallop’s natural sweetness without overpowering it.”

Shi Yancheng nodded in satisfaction. “You have a good taste.”